Phototoxicity in ophthalmic surgeries is a condition resulting from prolonged exposure to light during an ophthalmic surgical procedure and can result in vision loss, introduce other complications, and delay recovery times. Phototoxicity may result from bright light exposure from an endoilluminator located in close proximity to a retina for a prolonged period of time. Nearly all vitreoretinal procedures require at least some illumination of the surgical field. To reduce the risk of phototoxicity, health care providers typically attempt to keep illumination time and intensity as low as possible during vitreoretinal procedures. However, complex or lengthy procedures increase the risk of phototoxicity in a patient. For complex or lengthy procedures, health care providers may be forced to balance the surgical result and the chance of phototoxicity. Particularly, they may compromise a level of surgical treatment by taking steps or shortcuts to minimize the chance of phototoxicity.
Current efforts to curb the occurrence of phototoxicity include the use of color filters to minimize the direct effects of the light on the sensitive retina tissue. However, color filters also have the adverse effect of coloring the light, changing the color of observed tissue and can have a negative impact on visualization of the tissue. Other efforts to curb the occurrence of phototoxicity include the use of systems that regulate the time and exposure of the retina, or monitor the time and intensity of the endoilluminator. These systems then may alert the health care provider when exposure exceeds certain limits. In response, the + care provider may end the surgical procedure or may reduce the light intensity. Ending a surgical procedure prematurely can adversely impact the surgical success, and reducing the illumination intensity can make visualization more challenging.